Days Ahead
by Accidentally The Whole Fanfic
Summary: With the war behind them and the whole world ahead of them, Riou, Jowy, and Nanami embark on an adventure they never dreamed they'd get to share with each other - but they'll each have to deal with much more than just the typical hardships and dangers on their journey together. Slash.
1. Road to Anywhere

Chapter 1: Road to Anywhere

* * *

Riou had expected that he'd have trouble sleeping in the first few days following the war, re-adjusting from the recent familiarity of his plush bed at the Dunan Army headquarters to the almost-forgotten familiarity of his thinner, more worn-down bed back home in Kyaro. On top of that, there'd been the concurrent re-adjustment from a brutal war to impending peace, and all the ups and downs that came with it. But even after the exhilaration of reuniting with Jowy and Nanami, even after letting a week slip by as he'd tried to settle himself back down, it just wasn't happening. Part of him was almost certain that he didn't even _want_ to sleep - troubling dreams still skimmed the surface of his subconscious on occasion, leaving him unrested even when he _did_ manage to drift off.

Or maybe he was just wound up and impatient for whatever lay ahead of them. Nanami's constant state of restlessness could be downright contagious when you were exposed to it for extended periods of time.

And while Jowy and Nanami had become prone to crashing hard in the short time following their reunion - the inevitable result of their exhausted minds and bodies finally catching up with them in the wake of the war - Riou found himself eagerly staying up with them as late as they could handle and well beyond the point where the other two had dropped off, just enjoying their presence and making up for lost time. They all were cherishing the second chances they'd been given when it had seemed almost certain that the war would tear them apart forever.

It was on a cool spring night that he once again padded through the moonlit shadows of Grandpa Genkaku's humble dojo, his best friend and his big sister snoozing in their bedrolls in the training hall. Tonight was their last night in Kyaro for a good, long while. Perhaps forever, depending on where their travels took them - they had no place left in the dwindling and soon-to-be-annexed remnants of Highland, as it was. The accusing, fearful stares and bitter whispers they'd received in Kyaro alone since their return had been more than enough proof of that.

 _The more things change, huh,_ he mused wryly, casting a thoughtful glance towards the front windows. Kyaro lay dark and asleep, yet Riou couldn't help but wonder if anyone else in the small, cozy town was awake as well, head spinning with a chaotic swirl of thoughts much like his own was - like his mind had been embedded with a Wind Rune that was just casting The Shredding over and over again.

On the other hand, a return to the City-State - _Dunan,_ he reminded himself almost automatically, _it'll_ all _be Dunan soon_ \- was far too stifling a prospect for him, with his name revered across the newborn nation to a degree that just made him extremely uncomfortable. The pressure he'd undoubtedly face to accept an unwanted leadership was only helping to keep him at bay. If they passed through there on their way to wherever they were going, so be it - he just wasn't going to make a show of it, and hoped they'd be long-gone by time word got around.

And all of that suited them just fine, Nanami in particular. They'd all spent far too much time already feeling trapped during the war, wondering as each day slipped by if they'd live to see the next. They had the rest of the world open before them now, as far as they were concerned. It was a chance to start over wherever their feet took them. Bury the old, painful memories under newer and happier ones.

Grinning broadly, Riou knelt down where their backpacks and weapons were set, and scanned over the contents of his own pack first - almost more out of compulsion at that point than out of any real worry that they'd possibly forgotten something. Even if any detail had slipped his or Jowy's minds, Nanami had taken it upon herself to be startlingly anal about the whole ordeal.

Fresh clothes, soap, non-perishable food, and a canteen filled each pack, along with their own personal items and the things for which they were each responsible. Riou had their tents, rune scrolls, flint, and a small knife he'd kept from his time in the youth brigade; Jowy was in charge of the map and their potch; and Nanami carried the medicine, antitoxins, and compass. Their bedrolls would be packed up as well, come the morning.

Everything was perfect, so long as they could manage to rouse Jowy at a halfway-decent hour. No matter how long he slept, the blond would probably lapse into full-on hibernation mode if left to his own devices - something Riou had learned all too well during their time spent training in Highland's youth brigade. Somehow, Jowy had consistently managed to sleep through the sound of the bugle calling them to attention each morning, and had thus consistently managed to barely avoid being late for inspection each time. Captain Rowd, who had been consistently pissed off by this, once mused to Jowy that he was damn lucky that Rowd considered him such a diligent worker and a talented fighter.

Riou also couldn't help but wonder, sometimes, how or _if_ Jowy had been able to get away with such behavior during the war. From what Riou could tell, it was almost as if the blond boy's subconscious just hadn't given a shit about the concept of military protocol if it interfered with his slumber.

Despite his small smile at the memories, a small pang struck his heart as well as he remembered how he and Keine - one of their many friends from the youth brigade who had been killed during the ambush at Tenzan Pass - would grab Jowy's limbs some mornings and drag him bodily out of bed so they wouldn't be late, startling him half-awake and making him squirm in a panic before he'd realized what was going on. Nonetheless, the thought made Riou chuckle quietly as he got to his feet and dusted off his knees with a satisfied nod.

"Riou, it... it's _far_ too late for you to be so amused," a thick voice called through a yawn, startling him out of his reverie. Looking over with a bemused expression, Riou caught his best friend's sleepy face poking around the corner of the wall, bleary eyes blinking at him in confusion. "I figured you'd be asleep by now," Jowy continued huskily, scratching at the back of his head and grunting in a way that reminded Riou entirely too much of Viktor for his own comfort. "You _do_ still sleep, right?"

"Don't _you?"_ Riou countered with a smirk, getting a shrug in response. He shook his head in good-humored exasperation. "No wonder you keep crashing all the time, if you're getting up at all these weird hours. We have a hard enough time waking you up as it is!"

"Pfff. You sound like Nanami." Jowy scoffed and waved off the accusation, getting a light shove on the chest as Riou approached him. "And look who's talking about weird hours!" He shoved Riou back playfully as they turned and headed back to the training hall, settling down on their adjacent bedrolls and facing each other. Stifling another yawn into his wrist, he futilely shook his pajama sleeve back and stretched, keeping his voice low so as to not wake Nanami: "Mmm... to tell you the truth, I just woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. I mean," he clarified with a little shrug, "I _was_ falling back asleep, but then I heard you shuffling around, and I got a little curious."

With only a faint, apologetic blush heating his face in the shadows of the dojo, Riou shook his head and laughed quietly at the irony of it all. "Really? So all those times we had to drag you out of bed, or shake you so hard your head was about to fall off, we could've just woken you up by _walking around?_ Wow, Jowy. Way to be an ass."

Jowy just rolled his eyes and returned Riou's smile wearily, looking only a little bit more awake now. "Yes, Riou. I've really been a morning person all this time. I just didn't tell you because I-" Another yawn was muffled against his forearm, and he hummed and gave his head a little shake. "I decided it would be more fun to be difficult instead."

Planting his hands flat on the bedroll and arching his back with a satisfied grunt, Riou cracked his neck and let out a happy sigh. "Yeah, I can see that," he agreed readily, ducking his head when Jowy made to swat at it. "Too slow. I bet you were just pretending to be asleep all this time!"

"I don't have to answer that." Jowy shot him a sly grin - and this time, he was the one dodging Riou's swatting. "Too slow," he echoed, his gray eyes dancing.

Riou mimicked his words in a high-pitched mumble, huffing indignantly. " _You're_ too slow."

"Well, that settles it, then," Jowy quipped, stifling a laugh. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if any of Riou's speeches to the Dunan Army had ever gone like this. "I just can't compete with _that_ kind of wit."

" _Such_ an ass," Riou repeated in a grumble, though he couldn't quite keep the smile completely off his face.

It was nice to finally get back to some semblance of normalcy most of the time, pretend nothing had changed in the past couple of months - to finally watch Jowy let down the stoic, cold walls he'd built up over the course of the war, relaxing and joking with Riou for what seemed like the first time in ages. To see Nanami's eyes shine with joy instead of tears, hear her humming to herself as she read, or trained, or even just walked around - though her injury from the battle at Rockaxe hadn't healed quite enough yet to let her train as hard as she'd have liked.

And, Riou had to admit, it felt great to finally get away from the obligations to be a proper leader and effective mascot for the Dunan Army at all times, to just be himself again. No more meetings, no more awkward decorum, no more pretending he had any real say in the military strategies, the delegations...

And he could speak more freely and casually without fear of someone - other than Nanami, who at least meant well with _her_ nagging - reprimanding him for not watching his tongue around this person or that person. The doe-eyed beacon of hope for the City-State just wasn't supposed to call people asses. At least he could have pinned that last part on the bad influence of people like Viktor or Chaco, if it had ever come down to it. Or Nina, when she was riled up enough.

He could also have blamed Nanami - not that she'd have ever admitted it.

"And just to satisfy your curiosity, I _do_ sleep," Riou went on. He stuck his tongue out briefly at Jowy, who snorted at the immature reaction. "I _did_ sleep, I'm just... _not_ sleeping. Err, right now."

Eyebrows going up, Jowy tilted his head in concern. "When you say 'right now,' do you mean..."

"Right this second." Riou sighed, brow furrowing. "I _was_ asleep, but... you know. Just woke up, same as you, and I wasn't getting back to it anytime soon, so... I dunno. I guess I'm just..."

He paused, leaving the descriptor hanging in the dimly-lit air between them. Jowy made a few swipes at it: "Excited? Nervous? Scared?"

After a moment, Riou simply nodded, shooting him a wordless, questioning look that was returned by an understanding nod. Shoulders slumping in relief, he unfolded his legs from underneath him as he felt them beginning to tingle, readjusting himself so he was matching Jowy's cross-legged position and leaning forward a bit. "I think more excited than anything, but..." He exhaled softly. "I keep expecting to just suddenly wake back up at the castle - to get pulled into more meetings, and missions, and battles, and..."

As he trailed off again, the two of them turned their eyes to Nanami, still sleeping soundly with her back to them. Comfortably curled up on her bedroll - not shivering uncontrollably and bleeding out on the stone floors of Gorudo's castle, weak voice begging Riou to call her 'Big Sister,' and-

"...Yeah," Riou finished quietly, feeling his throat close up momentarily. He didn't miss Jowy's shaky exhale, or the sympathetic mutter of his name as the memories played back through both of their minds.

While they enjoyed having the good times back within their grasp, sometimes, the cracks nonetheless made themselves known. Whether in the dark of the night or even in the harsh glare of the sun, smiles would hitch and words would falter, doubts would rise back up, and wounds that were still too fresh would sting as the memories surfaced. All they could do was remind each other, and themselves, that it was all over. They'd made it out alive - maybe not quite unscathed, but they all had each other again despite the seemingly-impossible odds. Things would someday go all the way back to how they used to be... somehow. Maybe.

Hopefully.

After a quiet moment, Riou turned back to Jowy with a wry smile. "Not that I'm asking you to crack me on the head with your staff to make sure I'm not dreaming, or anything."

Jowy returned the smile, silently relieved that Riou seemed to have pulled his own spirits back up just a little bit, for the moment. "Well, no, I was hoping not. But it'd certainly get you back to sleep if I did it hard enough, now wouldn't it?"

Groaning, Riou plopped down onto his back with a soft grunt. "Alright, alright... _now_ who's sounding like Nanami?" Rolling over onto his side to face Jowy again for a moment, he propped himself up on one elbow. "So, in that case - _you'd_ better not gripe when we have to rattle you awake tomorrow morning."

"...Goodnight, Riou," Jowy replied after a slight pause to untie his long ponytail and slip the leather strap around his wrist, rolling over to lay down as well and facing away so Riou couldn't see him chuckling.

"Yeah, yeah," Riou grumbled good-naturedly, laying back down on his back and staring up at the darkened rafters. He struggled to force the countless, harrowing memories from his racing mind, focus on the present. "'Night, Jowy."

* * *

"Alright, alright, alright! Up and at 'em, guys! The sun's awake, so we should all be awake, too! C'mon!"

Brisk clapping punctuated Nanami's commands, highlighting the ridiculously inappropriate levels of enthusiasm she was displaying at such early hours. The rising sun bled gold-tinted light into the dojo, and Riou squinted up at his sister with a scratchy whine. He knew she could drop off like a brick if she was exhausted enough and _still_ spring up with the sunrise, because she was undoubtedly the biggest morning person in the damn universe, but didn't she have _any_ humanity? He felt like he was waking back up in some twisted version of the Unicorn Brigade.

Putting her hands on her hips with an amused smirk, Nanami planted her feet on either side of Riou's bedroll and looked down at him. Far easier to wake him than Jowy, at any rate. "C'mon, Riou! Move your grumpy butt! They didn't let you sleep in when you were in the brigade, right?"

A bleary blink, and Riou grunted once in affirmation, before rolling over onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow without a word. He _hadn't_ woken back up in the brigade, had he? He'd already lived through the stupid war _once,_ and he wasn't sure that his sanity could handle any sort of encore performance.

His stubbornness didn't stop Nanami's slipper-clad foot from poking lightly at his head. "Uh-uh. No you don't, buddy! We've got to get some breakfast in us before we head out, and we've got a long road ahead of us! Now scoot your ass out of there and help me wake Jowy!"

"God, what _are_ you?" Riou mumbled tiredly into his pillow, before another poke to his head finally broke his resolve. He rolled over onto his back, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Alright! Alright... if it'll get you to torture Jowy instead..."

Both of them looked over at the softly-snoring lump to Riou's right, undisturbed by Nanami's clarion call. Jowy was covered head-to-toe, as though he'd been hoping the sun would just skip over pulling him out of his slumber and let him lay there, sleeping the day away.

"Hmm." Nanami folded her arms and tilted her head, face screwed up in thought. They really needed to do something about his habits. "How are we gonna do this, though, huh? Too bad we don't have a bugle."

"Wouldn't work," Riou informed her after stifling a heavy yawn into his arm, and missing her bemused look. "I wish _I_ could sleep that well, do you have any idea how much Feather's damn screeching kept me up sometimes?" Face darkening at the memory - why in the _world_ that lousy griffon opted to perch _right outside_ Riou's room, anyway? - he ran his hands through his already-messy brown hair and shook his head. "Just throw some water on him like we always do..."

"Ehhh..." Nanami crinkled her nose and sighed, squatting down beside Jowy and poking at him. Nothing. Of course not. "But that gets _old!_ We need to start getting creative!"

Standing up and stretching with another long, shuddering yawn, Riou rolled his shoulders, giving his head a good, hard shake to clear it. Creative? What exactly did that _mean,_ and was she being _serious,_ and really - what? " _Why,_ exactly?"

Nanami was already grabbing her own bedroll from the other side of Riou's when she responded in a flippant tone: "Don't talk back to your big sister, Riou." And, with the bedroll sloppily folded in half, she uttered a battle cry and unceremoniously spun around, giving Jowy a few hard whacks with it. The snoozing lump snorted in confusion and gave a start after the second impact, before starting to squirm around. _"C'mon, Jowy! Get up, get up, get up!"_

"What the hell, Nanami?!" Riou's voice cracked in mid-admonishment, snatching the bedroll away from her. The action sent Nanami stumbling off-balance for a moment, though she righted herself quickly. "Shit, you don't need to _flog_ him! Calm down!"

Nonetheless, he realized - freezing in place as the cover shifted and Jowy glared up at him from underneath it, like an irritated hermit crab - Nanami's method had worked all too well. As if in celebration of this, she folded her arms and gestured proudly, making a satisfied little noise and flashing a smug grin at Riou. She hadn't needed a bugle after all. _"Ha!"_

"Riou what the _hell?"_ Jowy echoed huskily, squinting against the intruding sunlight and smoothing back his rumpled, untied hair. Idly, Riou couldn't help but notice how much his best friend resembled Teresa Wisemail - albeit an uncharacteristically grouchy version of Teresa - in that moment, with his fair hair loose. _"Really?"_

Riou grinned weakly at him and uttered a feeble laugh before thrusting the bedroll back into Nanami's hands and jabbing his index finger in her direction. "Her," he stated simply, causing the chipper brunette to roll her eyes and sigh. "I was just going to wake you the usual way, honest!"

Jowy looked back-and-forth between them, blinking his bleary gray eyes slowly, before uttering a defeated groan and clambering unsteadily to his feet as he adjusted his crooked pajamas and tied his hair back. The 'usual way' was hardly any better, in his opinion. "Fine. I'm awake. Don't do that again," he mumbled, shuffling past Nanami and giving her a hard flick on the forehead that made her wince.

"It woke you up, didn't it?" she shot back indignantly, blowing a loud raspberry at him as he muttered something in response and padded off to wash himself up for breakfast.

Things were definitely getting back to normal, Riou mused with a hopeful smile, hurriedly walking off to get breakfast ready. He didn't want to risk Nanami deciding to handle the cooking herself and sending him off to wash up, too. While he'd gotten used to Nanami's cooking through years of constant exposure - though he definitely missed Hai Yo's cooking - Jowy had already suffered enough that morning.

After they ate - each of them wondering aloud what their travels would hold, even without a destination in mind yet - the trio found themselves in the small backyard of the dojo. They were dressed for their journey and staring down thoughtfully at the gravestone marking the resting place of Nanami and Riou's adoptive guardian, Genkaku. The mood was far more solemn than it had been only a half-hour or so back.

The wind rustled the branches and the birds chirped Kyaro awake, but no sound otherwise carried between the three of them for a few somber moments. Jowy looked over and noticed that Riou in particular seemed to have a swirl of unidentifiable emotions storming behind his bright brown eyes, lips thinned as if he was trying to keep something in check. What exactly that was, Jowy wasn't sure - but when Nanami got to her knees and bowed her head in prayer, Riou quickly followed, his expression quickly hidden.

Jowy hung back for a moment in awkward uncertainty before Nanami spoke up, her voice quiet, and her words more plea than suggestion:

"You can, too, if you want. He wouldn't mind."

"Alright... sure." With a little nod, Jowy joined them in their kneeling, hands clasped in his lap as he, too, bowed his head and closed his eyes. While Genkaku hadn't quite raised Jowy like he had Nanami and Riou, he had nonetheless treated Jowy as family just the same - and that was more than Jowy could have ever said for his own stepfather. Finding his own thoughts becoming rather conflicted with the memories of the past few months starting to clamor about in his head, he cleared his throat softly and let out a shaky breath, not seeing Riou's eyes open slightly to glance over at him.

Nanami cleared her own throat as well, and began speaking aloud: "Thank you so much for watching over us, Grandpa. You've done more for us than we ever could've imagined. Sometimes... I wasn't sure we'd ever all make it back together-" Here, her voice hitched with a soft quaver that almost seemed like it may have been guilt, "-but you... you helped us come home, didn't you? Still... even though we've been back home for a little while, we're... we're going away again. For a long time."

Biting at her lip for a moment, she steeled herself. "Maybe forever. To make a new beginning... find our place in the world. And, so... so... this might be our last time here with you." Her voice cracked slightly, but she steadied it after a moment, opening her eyes and planting a hand lovingly on the gravestone. "I hope you'll continue to watch over all of us. Thank you for bringing us back together."

"Thank you, Grandpa," Riou echoed, his voice hoarse and barely audible. Swallowing hard in hopes of loosening his tightened throat, he was the first to rise after they'd finished praying. Once Jowy and Nanami had done the same, he motioned for them to follow him back inside.

Nanami quickly headed in after him, eyebrows knitting in concern. Jowy made to start back as well, but looked back over his shoulder one last time at Genkaku's gravestone. The memories and emotions swelled up inside of him again, and he heaved a deep breath, shaking his head firmly. He had a second chance. They _all_ had a second chance - whoever, whatever had granted it to them - and it wouldn't be wasted. With a small smile, he nodded at the gravestone. "Thank you, Master Genkaku," he murmured gratefully, heading inside to finish the final preparations with his friends.

The archway marking the northern entrance to Kyaro cast its shadow behind the trio as they stood and observed their hometown with a mixture of regret, anticipation, and relief. A few early risers strolled about the cobblestone streets, sparing them little more than passing glances - somewhat curious, but mostly dark.

With a shaky little laugh, Nanami tilted her head. "Well, Kyaro... I guess it's goodbye again, huh?"

"But that means it's hello to the rest of the world." Riou shifted the straps of his pack slightly so the weight settled a little more evenly on his back. When Jowy and Nanami turned their amused gazes his way, he shrugged and grinned at them, all traces of his earlier pensive mood pushed away for the time being. "Hey, so what're we waiting for? We're not going to get anywhere just standing around looking at each other, are we? C'mon, let's hit the road!"

Smiling at his enthusiasm, Jowy and Nanami followed him as he started off at a light jog down the path leading away from Kyaro. While they hadn't officially settled on where exactly to go yet, they seemed almost to have gravitated in the direction of Tenzan Pass nonetheless - and beyond that, they would either be able to head north to Harmonia, west to the Grasslands, or south to Muse. Riou found his steps slowing down as the thought occurred to him, allowing Nanami and Jowy to catch up with him. "...Well... I guess we're heading this way, then."

"Ah, shoot! We never actually did decide on that, did we?" Nanami pointed out, though she giggled awkwardly at the realization. Of all the things to overlook. With Jowy in tow, going through Muse didn't seem like the best possible idea - and while she'd heard Lucia had backed off from her pursuit of Riou, the thought of chancing across her in the Grasslands again didn't hold much appeal, either. "And after all that preparation, too!"

Jowy shrugged, though the implications weren't lost on him, either. Suppressing a small shudder at the memories, he shook his head. "It's kind of overwhelming, though," he reasoned, garnering an agreeing nod from Riou. "Maybe we should flip a coin first? Tenzan Pass or North Sparrow Pass... and if it lands on North Sparrow, we can just double back and then go from there." Not that he didn't have a specific destination in mind first, making the path through Tenzan a much more convenient choice - just a detour on their road to anywhere, a quick stop to close a particular chapter of his life - but he didn't want to voice it out of fear of sounding selfish.

Either way, the idea of passing through either former Highland territory or former City-State territory made his skin prickle - who knew who would recognize him, and what their reaction would be? Kyaro alone had been proof enough that there was still some lingering resentment and bitterness to be expected. _But whichever way you go, you'll have to pass through one or the other anyway,_ he reminded himself, rubbing the back of his neck where the fine hairs were standing up. _You'll be out of there soon enough. You knew your choices would have consequences._ The thought didn't comfort him much.

Tapping his foot for a moment and folding his arms, Riou rubbed his chin, before giving a firm nod and once again motioning for the other two to follow him. "Well... how about we just keep on the way we're heading? Once we're out of Tenzan Pass, we can just keep going north, and stay to the eastern edge until we reach the border."

"So, you're _sure_ you want to go to Harmonia?" Nanami wondered aloud, eyebrows jumping up in surprise when Riou nodded, turning back to shoot her a teasing smile. To her, something about the Holy Kingdom had always seemed almost untouchable. Like it couldn't truly exist beyond the border, despite her knowing better and growing up barely a stone's throw from it. They'd faced Harmonians during the war, after all. "Really?!"

"Yeah, what's the big deal? What, are you intimidated?" he prodded, causing her to snort and kick at the back of his boot.

"No way!" Maybe a little. "I just didn't realize you wanted to start so big!" Maybe a lot.

Riou shrugged. While Harmonia had bordered Highland to the north since well before any of them had been _born_ \- and the country itself had once stretched its borders as far south as the Toran Republic - he was more than a little wary about heading there, too. Undoubtedly intrigued, but wary.

Of course, given the suspicious things he'd heard about it from the army members who had grown up there, and after they'd aided Highland's side in the war, he supposed he had good reason to _be_ wary - not that he'd like to admit it out loud, either. He wasn't sure if it was just his pride, or some sort of holdover from having to constantly put on a brave face for the City-State during the war.

"No, it's just..." Riou met Jowy's eyes for a moment. The older boy gave a little start at the sudden attention, but smiled back gratefully as he realized what Riou was getting at.

After a moment, Nanami caught it too, and her expression softened a bit. "Oh, that's right... Lady Jillia and Pilika... "

Rubbing the back of his neck again as they reached the mouth of Tenzan Pass, Jowy's smile turned sheepish. "Thank you, Riou. I know it's selfish of me, just... it'd give me peace of mind to know that they made it there alright."

"Are you kidding?" Nanami responded, giving him a playful shove on the arm to lighten the mood again. "I'd _love_ to see Pilika again! Wow, I bet she's gotten so big!"

"She certainly has," Jowy agreed, his fond smile soon becoming mischievous. "And she was a surprisingly good girl, despite all that time she spent with you and Riou." He snickered when Nanami opted to respond with a rude hand gesture. "Oh? Did you try to teach her how to do that?"

Nanami snorted indignantly. What kind of caretaker did he think she was? She wasn't _Viktor,_ for crying out loud. " _No,_ but maybe I _should_ have."

"Bet she'll be taller than youuuu," Riou sang from in front of them, ducking instinctively when Nanami made to smack him upside the head. He snickered. "Oh, like I don't know when you're going to - OW!" Rubbing the back of his head, he turned and glowered at Nanami, who was stifling a grin.

Looking over to Jowy, he then saw a poor attempt at an innocent expression, accompanied by a little bit of whistling. "You."

"Her," the blond responded simply, pointing at Nanami and shaking his head. He looked utterly insincere.

Nanami pushed his hand down, her tone laced with indignation: "Whaaaat?! No way, buddy! That was _all_ you!"

Riou nodded firmly at his sister's rebuttal, finding it credible enough. "Thought so." Giving Jowy a sarcastically amiable smile, he cracked his knuckles. "You know what, I don't need my tonfa to beat _your_ ass." Despite his words, his eyes had the old playful glint to them that Jowy had sorely missed over the past few months.

"Oh?" Although he was shooting his best friend a teasing smirk now, Jowy's interest had suddenly been piqued at the those words - the idea of going hand-to-hand against Riou sometime in the future could prove fun. "What are you planning to use, then? Your bedroll?"

At this, Riou groaned and rolled his eyes, turning back around and throwing his hands up. "Come on, that actually _was_ Nanami! Did you not see me _standing_ on my bedroll?"

"What is this, Blame Nanami Day?" said girl wondered aloud, huffing when Riou and Jowy chorused a "Yes!" back at her and snickered. "Hey, now! I don't even need my staff to kick _both_ of your asses!"

"No, _you_ just need your cooking," Jowy muttered under his breath, before jumping a little at the sharp stare Nanami had suddenly shot his way. "...Oh! Oh. You... you heard that."

"Heard what?" Nanami cooed sweetly, though her brown eyes flashed with a dangerous spark.

Hmm. There was no easy way out of this. "That, uh. That..." Jowy pointed in a random direction, a cool bead of sweat trickling down his temple. "That... DoReMi Elf... over... in the, uhh..."

"You should really just run, Jowy," Riou suggested from in front of them, grinning broadly and not even bothering to look back at them. "Unless you actually _want_ your ass klcked."

That was all the encouragement Jowy needed, and he sprang into a sprint, Nanami immediately on his trail and yelling at him to slow down as her short brown hair bounced about her face. "Riou!" she called over her shoulder, waving for him to catch up as her voice echoed behind her. "Help me catch this little punk and teach him a lesson!"

He waved the request off, continuing his leisurely pace in spite of the urge to go running after them. Jowy _had_ gone upside his head, after all - but Nanami could avenge that particular transgression for him. He was in too good of a mood right now. "Nahh... you're doing great, Nanami! Get him!"

"Really?!" Jowy squawked back, his voice echoing off the walls of the pass. "Come on, Riou! Help me!"

Smile widening, Riou laughed loudly at the desperation in Jowy's voice and finally broke into a run, cupping his hand over his mouth and calling for them to wait up and not kill each other. "We've barely even left Kyaro!" he pointed out, laughing again when Nanami shouted back that she didn't care.

It was nice to finally have things settling back down to normal again - at least for the time being, at least on the outside. And as they all caught up with each other and horsed around for a bit - their laughter and shouts echoing throughout the morning - they each quietly clung to that sense of normalcy with every fiber of their being, hoping the other two wouldn't notice their own strain in the days ahead.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Because I just don't have enough multichapters going on at the moment. Oh well. But I've been wanting to do a post-game _Suikoden II_ story for some time now - taking off from the best ending, because I'm an idealistic sap sometimes - and the idea recently hit me for what I could go on and do with it, a plot that should hopefully work over the long run. Hopefully, I can do it well, especially writing Jowy's more casual side, and giving Riou a personality at all. Plus, I've always been a fan of that pairing. And a big fan of Nanami. So... we'll see how this turns out!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review, if you'd like! I can't promise how quickly chapter 2 will come along, with the other stuff I have going on (both story-wise and life-wise), but I'll see you there!


	2. In Mind

**Author's Notes:** A heads-up before the chapter begins - I'm just gonna go ahead and bump the rating up to M in advance for some of the imagery in this chapter. Better safe than sorry.

Chapter 2: In Mind

* * *

The trio's burst of excited energy only carried them a short way through Tenzan Pass before Nanami's body decided to issue her a harsh reminder of the injuries she was still minding, and they slowed down to a casual stroll through the eastern side of the pass as the seventeen-year-old scowled and groaned in agitation.

"The next time someone tries to fire an arrow at me, I'm personally shoving it right up their butt," she groused, making the boys wince while she rubbed tenderly at her side, relieved that her stitches seemed to be holding up beneath the bandaging. "I can't _wait_ until this stupid thing heals up!"

Looking over his shoulder at Nanami with a concerned expression that was shared by Jowy, Riou shifted the weight of his pack, slowing down his walking a bit more. "You wanna stop and rest for a few minutes, then?"

"Ahhh..." Nanami waved off his concern and shook her head, flashing him a sunny smile and motioning for him to keep going. It _did_ hurt like hell sometimes, though she really hadn't meant for them to cotton on to that little fact. "I'm fine, Riou! Don't worry about me - c'mon, you know I'm made of tougher stuff than that!"

"Well, yeah, we _know_ you're hard-headed," Riou groused, turning back around and shaking his head. Still, he couldn't help but feel a small ripple of relief in his stomach, mixing with a sharp pang - and, though he didn't look back at Jowy to check, he had a feeling the blond was of the same mindset.

They passed by the trail that led west, deeper and higher into the pass, where it all had started and ended. Images of his friends' arrow-riddled bodies once again blinked into his mind, as they tended to do from time to time - their pained pleas and weak sobs, the heat of the fire on his skin, Luca's twisted face cast in flickering shadows by the flames - and he suppressed a shudder as the heat was swept away by a sharp chill. He'd seen all manner of horrors during the war, but the night of the ambush seemed embedded into his memory as sharp and clear as the rune on his left hand. He couldn't even imagine what might going through Jowy's mind at the moment.

Sensing the sudden tension in the air as they continued on their way - and seeing the shadow that briefly darkened Jowy's face in her peripheral vision - Nanami internally debated with herself for a brief moment on what to say next, before clearing her throat to catch their attention. "Hey, hey - so, did they tell you, Riou? The circus troupe," she elaborated, upon seeing Riou's confused profile frowning over his shoulder at her. "Remember them?" she added, giving Jowy a sideways glance and catching his hesitant nod.

"Umm... a little?" he replied, scratching at the nape of his neck under his ponytail. "Uhh... what was it, Renee, Ellie, and... err... Bolgan?"

"Rina and Eilie," Riou corrected, giving Jowy a teasing smirk. "Okay, you forget _them,_ but you remember Bolgan's name? C'mon, Eilie was there when we ran into you in Greenhill!"

"Well, Bolgan was huge!" Jowy protested defensively. "And he breathed fire! Who _wouldn't_ remember him?" Not to mention the fact that Eilie hadn't really had a chance to re-introduce herself during their brief reunion at Greenhill, circumstances being what they'd been.

Riou shrugged - Jowy had a point. Bolgan _was_ certainly hard to forget, but so were the gypsy sisters. "Still, though - Rina? That little 'adult conversation' she had with that captain at North Sparrow Pass? That didn't ring a bell at all?" he prodded, turning back around and snickering as he pictured Jowy's cheeks flushing at the reminder - which they were. He knew without looking that he'd managed to jog Jowy's memory with _that_ one. "Eilie ever tell you about that?" he added to Nanami, whose own face was now puzzled.

"...No...? Yuck, do I even _want_ to hear about this?" she grunted, her mind nonetheless trying to work out exactly _what_ the situation could've entailed. Rina was a lovely woman and a great friend, but she'd certainly overheard more than her fair share about the beautiful cartomancer's shameless exploits. And almost personally stumbled upon a few during the occasional after-hours stroll through the castle. And, just as Riou was about to open his mouth - whether to relay the details of this sordid event or not, Nanami wasn't sure - she went on: "Aaaaactually, nah! A little mystery is fine by me! Anyway, speaking of them - I don't know if she ever told you, but Eilie said they were thinking about maybe traveling up north next! So maybe we might run into them at some point, if we're lucky!"

Eyebrows raising with a little smile, Riou hummed happily. "Really? Last I heard on the subject, they were talking about actually settling down at Northwind. I think Rina got offered a really high position in the army because of how good she is with... magic... hey, wait a minute," he added, cocking his head to the side and frowning again. "When did _you_ even get a chance to talk to Eilie about this, anyway?"

Rolling her eyes at this Nanami shook her head. "C'mon, I was with you guys up until Rockaxe! I talked to people in the army, you know!" Letting her indignation fade, she shrugged. "She brought it up... I dunno, around when we freed Greenhill? Yeah, Greenhill - Nina was asking her if they'd perform there after the war was over, and it kinda came up." She allowed herself a small, nostalgic smile at the memory of the three of them walking through town, and wondered how her friends were holding up. "So I guess it depends on how things go with Rina... those three are about as close as we are. I hope we can see them, though," she added wistfully, though her tone quickly took on a teasing note: "I know Eilie would _looooove_ to run into her beloved Lord Riou again! I bet they're probably back on the road now that you are, too!"

Feeling his face suddenly blaze up at this, Riou scoffed, not daring to turn back to his sister and best friend lest they spot it and tease him relentlessly over it. "Yeah, yeah. You think you're so cute, don't you?" he muttered under his breath, hearing Nanami giggle deviously.

"Huh," Jowy chimed in, an amused smirk on his face. "I didn't know you had an admirer, Riou! What else have you been keeping from me, hmm?" He chuckled as he heard Riou let out an annoyed groan from in front of them, and noted with some amusement and a bit of intrigue that the younger boy's ears had gone red, as well.

"You mean aside from the fact that I'm about to kick you both in the balls?"

"I'm a girl, dummy," Nanami pointed out. "I don't _have_ balls."

"You sure about that?" Riou grumbled, smirking victoriously when he heard her indignant exclamation from behind him:

" _What?!"_

"What?" he chirped back quickly, failing to inject any semblance of innocence into his voice. Not that he'd really tried all that hard. Deciding to just deal with the topic and close it before they returned to teasing him over it, he continued, being careful with his words: "Anyway... look, Eilie's really cool and all, and I _know_ she liked me, but..." He shrugged - he had a feeling he was going to open up a whole new can of worms he just didn't feel like handling, _Thanks a million, Nanami,_ but here he was. Maybe if he handled it just right... "I mean, it kinda... came up at some point, and I just told her I... don't see her like that. And I'm _not_ 'Lord Riou' anymore," he capped acidly, flicking the title off of his tongue as quickly as he could. "Let's let that one die, huh?"

"Ahhh... alright, fine," Nanami agreed, holding her hands up in surrender. "But, seriously? Wow. I mean... I know Rina gets all the attention and stuff, but Eilie's really cute, and nice, and talented, and-"

"He _knows_ that, Nanami," Jowy cut in calmly, sparing Riou a pitying glance out of the corner of his eye. Far from the expected relaxation, he noticed that his friend seemed to have just tensed up more. "But if there's nothing there, there's nothing there. You can't force it..."

" _Thank_ you," Riou breathed, shoulders finally slumping in relief, even though his cheeks and ears still burned. He remembered the flash of disappointment in her eyes as he patted her hand, her repeated reassurances that she was okay. The sudden look of realization and the quiet "oh" as the truth struck her, her dark eyes going wide for a moment, before they softened.

 _"Well, in that case, Riou... I don't want to get your hopes up. But-" She squeezed his hand gently, getting him to look over at her with weary, tired eyes, "-I really hope there's some way it can all work out for you, somehow. There just_ has _to be."_

 _Riou swallowed the knot in his throat and shook his head, eyes burning. Nanami was dead. And the war would either end with him or Jowy winding up the same way - maybe both of them. Tomorrow, they'd be setting out for the final battle at L'Renouille, each step taking him closer and closer to a fate he didn't want. As far as he was concerned, if he ever hit a lower point in his life after this, he'd rather not come out of it alive - it just didn't seem worth it. He worked his mouth open and closed a few times, only a strained squeak or two escaping him as he tried to find the words._

 _"How?" he finally managed after a few silent moments. "How the hell can_ anything _work out anymore, Eilie?! I lost the only family I had left, and now Jowy and I have to... I... I can't do this anymore! I wish I was... I just want to - I-I hope I get k... ki... I-"_

 _He found he couldn't finish those thoughts as his voice broke, burying his face in his hands and shaking as he propped his elbows on the table and let his pain and grief pour out. Eilie rubbed his back while he cried hoarsely - though her voice was stern as she admonished him that he couldn't_ say _things like that, think things like that. That he had everyone's hope on his shoulders, and what would it be worth now if it all fell apart in the final hour? That it must hurt more than she or nearly anyone else could imagine, but he still had people in his life who truly cared for him as a person, as a friend - not because of who or what he was to the City-States. That it was a really horrible situation, sure, but Nanami died protecting him, and she'd be insulted if she could hear what he was saying now._ _And if Riou insulted Nanami's spirit and her sacrifice in such a selfish way, Eilie would chop off his fucking fingers. All of them._

 _That last statement drew an unexpected laugh from the middle of a sob, and Riou hiccuped and thanked her quietly, calming down a little even as the tears continued falling down his mottled cheeks. "...What're you gonna do with my fingers afterward, though?" he croaked after a moment, cracking a small smile at her and getting it returned as she put a finger to her chin and tilted her head in mock-thought._

 _"Uhhh... hmm. I dunno. I didn't really think that far ahead... probably feed them to Feather, I guess?"_

 _Riou snorted at this and let out another laugh, propping his face up on one palm and shaking his head. He wiped at his eyes with his free hand, his smile widening some. "Damn bird. Guess I'd better listen to you, then, huh? ...Thanks for being here for me, Eilie," he added softly, lacing his fingers together over the back of his neck and looking down at the tabletop. "I actually kind of feel a little better now."_

 _Her hand squeezed his shoulder gently, and he patted it, feeling a warmth in his chest that he thought had died with Nanami. Looking over at her, he saw a tight smile on her face. "Anytime, Riou. But please,_ please _try to rest, okay? And... if you ever need to talk, you know where to find us."_

 _"You too, Eilie," Riou replied, watching her get up from the table and turn for the door with a final glance over her shoulder. "Night."_

 _"Night, Riou." And the door to his room clicked shut behind her, leaving Riou's shoulders and heart a little lighter than they had been earlier._

Back in the present, Riou swallowed a slight lump in his throat, but shook his head again, wondering if he'd have really gone and thrown it all away in his grief had Eilie not been there to lift his spirits. If he'd really have charged into battle hoping to die at someone's hand - by arrow, sword, magic, far too soon no matter what the method. _And if I had... then none of this would've happened. Nanami, Jowy and I never would've... Nanami would've been all alone..._ He pushed the thought away as roughly as he could. "Eilie's great and all, but I just... she's more like a sister to me. A _second_ sister, so don't get all threatened or anything," he added to Nanami, raising his voice slightly.

"Are you kidding? That's so sweet!" Nanami cooed, sounding just a step away from bounding forward to tweak his cheek. "I mean, I still don't get it entirely, but I'd be glad to share big sister duties with her! Hmm," she went on thoughtfully, rubbing her chin as they started to walk over the bridge connecting to the western side of the pass. "Alright, then, if it's not Eilie..."

"Who says there _is_ anyone?" Riou griped a little too defensively, watching the ground far below pass through the gaps in the bridge as his face continued to burn. He hadn't blushed this hard in quite some time, and he'd forgotten how much he absolutely hated it. "Sheesh... I've kind of had my mind on other stuff, you know..."

"Fair point," Jowy conceded, folding his arms over his chest and humming. "And if you ask me, I think Nanami may actually be putting you on the spot to deflect attention from _her._ "

Nanami cut him a suspicious glare from the corner of her eye. "Eh? And what _exactly_ does that mean, mister?"

Feeling himself perk up a little now that the heat was off of him for the moment, Riou grinned and silently thanked Jowy for the opening, lifting his head up from watching his feet trod over solid ground again. "Yeah, Nanami! Jowy's right! How do we know _you're_ not the one we should be grilling here?"

With a little huff, Nanami stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Oh, right! Like I've had _time_ for that sort of thing. Hmmm... not that there weren't some nice-looking guys in the army," she added, lacing her fingers behind her back and humming cheerfully. Granted, some of those nice-looking guys had either been spoken for, insufferable, or about a decade too old for her - but she, Meg, and Millie had still enjoyed the fine art of both literal and metaphorical window-shopping during their time together. "Buuuuut _I_ was a little more concerned about looking after _you,_ Mr. Subject-Changer. You and your little partner in crime over there."

Jowy blinked. "...I'm taller than him..."

"And technically, Jowy's the one who changed the subject," Riou added on. "I just went along with it to get you off of my ass, Nanosy." He chuckled at Nanami's subsequent exasperated groan and mutter of "You're both a couple of smartasses."

With that conversational road leading to a dead-end in short order afterward, Nanami soon found herself musing on the weather, and wondering why there weren't any more travelers out yet to enjoy the beautiful day. Riou, for his part, was quietly grateful that Nanami hadn't decided to continue on with the interrogations by turning the question Jowy's way, to suggest maybe he had ulterior motives for wanting to see Jillia one more time. Or to continue pressing _him_ for who might be occupying his thoughts and his heart, if not Eilie.

Vaguely aware of the two of them chattering away behind him about the things they'd heard about Harmonia, Riou let his thoughts drift on the spring breeze, gaze fixed aimlessly on the clear sky. Maybe last year, before the war had started, before things had turned upside-down, it would've been easier for him to be honest about it if asked. Even if he didn't know what sort of response he'd have gotten back then any more than he knew what he'd hear now, he could've sucked up his courage and brought up the subject just to get it out there in the open. He and Jowy had always been close, always there for each other.

Even when they'd started making more friends in the youth brigade - and being separated to hone their own individual strengths in training - they'd stuck fast by each other, through their doubts and worries, and through the injuries received during their training. Even the ones they'd inflicted upon each other. Eventually, Riou had started finding his gaze lingering too long on Jowy when they got to wash up, and found himself getting distracted - and occasionally knocked out, or at least down, earning Rowd's ire and a night of laundry duty - while watching how Jowy's lithe body moved in training with a fluid sort of grace, the way his hair whipped about as he moved and stuck to his forehead and neck in sweaty strands. Finding moments where he thought it was safe to seek out some privacy and work out the pent-up tension from a tangle of feelings and daydreams about his best friend that scared and excited him.

Even during the war, when the stress and heartache got to be too much, he'd occasionally slip off into an unused room or corridor in the castle - or, eventually, take advantage of the privacy of his bedroom up in the tower - to think about the boy who had become his enemy and lose himself in ludicrous fantasies, hating himself for his foolishness afterward.

And when they'd finally reunited, he'd been brought back from the brink of complete despondency right as Jowy had been brought back from the brink of death. He was so completely overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions at that point, he didn't know whether he wanted to burst into tears of happiness, give into his pent-up feelings and kiss Jowy with everything he had and see what happened, or both. Ultimately, he'd wound up doing neither, simply hugging the older boy so tightly that there was probably still an imprint of his arms on Jowy's back, the two of them shaking uncontrollably with relief, exhilaration, stress, and sorrow. While Riou had tried to wrap his mind around every last bit of everything that had occurred, the news of Nanami's survival had swiftly kicked everything else from his mind in short order.

Yet now, after everything that had happened... had they been through too much for things to be that easy now? Even if Jowy did by some miracle share his feelings - and, Riou mused, having Jowy and Nanami back with him _and_ having his freedom again had probably used up a lifetime's supply of miracles for him - would it even be a plausible outcome after all the turmoil, the confusion... hell, after _Jillia?_ Riou wasn't sure of the nature of _their_ feelings toward each other, and he hadn't felt like broaching the subject with Jowy - whether it had been something more like what Riou felt for Eilie, or what Eilie had felt for him, or if it had all been a political move from both King and Queen alike - but Jowy had been _married_ to her, all the same. Shared a bed with her. Possibly even...

Riou squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push out the mental images. It didn't quite work out as he'd hoped, as his obnoxiously traitorous mind decided to simply swap out Jillia for himself. Jowy's fingers were running through _his_ hair now, Jowy's lips tracing tenderly down _his_ neck, _his_ soft moans and gasps filling what had probably been a very large and opulent bedroom as Jowy's hand slid between his legs and wrapped around his-

Riou's eyes flew open, and he bit down on his lip as the blush returned with a vengeance - along with something else that made him glad his back was to the other two. _Shit,_ _shit, shit. Go back! Go back! You're going to be sharing a tent with him, dumbass, you can't-_

"-alright, Riou? Riou?" Jowy's voice called again, yanking the younger boy violently out of his embarrassing thoughts and back onto the road in front of them with a slight stumble and a surprised yelp.

"Hey!" Riou squeaked, righting himself and clearing his throat in an attempt to sound more casual. "Yeah, what's up?" Despite his efforts, his voice cracked mid-question.

"Are you alright?" Jowy repeated hesitantly. "You just seemed a little... out of it for a second there." He had his suspicions about _why_ exactly that might have been - even Nanami had moments where she seemed lost in her own thoughts, gaze distant and troubled, probably focused on thoughts and images she didn't want to recall. Jillia and Pilika had seen him in a similar state often enough, as well. "Maybe we should stop somewhere and rest a little?"

"Ahhh... I'm good," Riou assured them with a far easier lie, waving it off over his shoulder. "I mean, we only just left, after all. Just such a nice day out, I kinda zoned out a little enjoying it. I don't wanna waste any daylight getting through here to the border unless we absolutely have to, especially if we're gonna be camping out tonight instead of staying at an inn someplace."

"Why not?" Nanami mused, rubbing her chin. "I mean, inns around here aren't very expensive, are they? And I heard they were sending State guards out here to keep the peace... there were a couple on patrol back in Kyaro, so they'd definitely have some around here, yeah?"

"Yeah, but..." Riou sighed heavily. He'd been hoping he could avoid laying it all out in the open like this, just let it be inferred without sounding ridiculous and overprotective - but maybe he _needed_ to voice it aloud... so they could tell him he sounded ridiculous and overprotective. Not to mention, he didn't exactly want to put Jowy on the spot this way, but here they were. "I guess I just don't want the guards or the people of Highland to see Jowy and... try to start anything with him, or... do anything to him." He cringed as he finished, wondering if he was just imagining the awkwardness he'd slowly drawn out into the air with his words.

"I guess you've got a point," Nanami mumbled after a moment of thought, glancing over at Jowy - who, though nonplussed overall, nonetheless looked touched by Riou's concern. "I mean, of course I'd kick anyone's ass if they tried to hurt Jowy! But..." She chewed at her lower lip for a moment. "...I'd rather avoid having to actually do that at all, really..."

"Yeah, same here," Riou agreed quietly, feeling the weight of his tonfa strapped to his hips. While there was a good chance they'd run into bandits or monsters in their travels - or who knew _what_ else, especially in Harmonia - he just wanted a break from the fighting for a little while. They all did.

With a little smile at the two of them, Jowy shook his head, feeling warmth in his heart - though not without a fair amount guilt also wrapping around it like creeping vines. Idly, he wondered if it would lessen any once they finally crossed the border into Harmonia. Once he was away from all the reminders. "Thank you both, but I don't want to put you out like that. I can handle myself, and... if it comes down to it, I know you two won't let anything happen to me, either. Besides," he added with a squint as they rounded the bend that would level out the ground and lead them out of the pass in a short while, "I'm not certain, but I think there might be some rain headed this way from the west... I don't mind camping out in the rain, but if we can avoid it..."

Humming in agreement with this assessment, Riou scrunched his nose up and looked westward as well - sure enough, from what he could tell over the high walls of the pass, a sheet of dark, heavy clouds was visible in the distance, blurring the sky some and looking to be slowly moving east. Jowy did have some valid points. Plus, while he certainly didn't mind camping in a storm either - they'd done it enough in the brigade, and they'd sure as hell lived through far worse - he wasn't sure how much sleep he'd get in such close quarters with Jowy now, in such a small tent. At least in the dojo, their bedrolls had had some distance between them, and they'd have separate beds in an inn. Plus, Nanami's bandages would have less chance of getting wet and irritating her wound.

"Yeah, point taken. Alright... I guess we can just play it by ear or something. Maybe crash in someone's barn if the inn is too pricey," he added with a little chuckle, watching as the pass began to widen and the ridges started to run lower and lower to the ground. Open plains and sparse vegetation were starting to become visible now, and distant, small patches of trees could be seen here and there. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get there, huh?"

Out of the pass - which, Riou couldn't help but notice, didn't have guards posted on either end - a damp but pleasant breeze blew past them gently, carrying the scent of the distant storm with it and filling the air with the faint rustling of leaves. Off to the east, the late-morning sun shone weakly from behind a few gauzy white clouds, a few minty rays filtering through. Idly, the trio noticed that the roads were still empty - no traders or other travelers in sight, though with the area still in a state of turmoil following L'Renouille's fall, it wasn't all that surprising. At the moment, only the occasional small animal - a squirrel here, a rabbit there, a bird overhead - denoted any other signs of life in the area, with the former capital city and its fallen castle still an imposing shadow even from far, far away.

Had it not been for the almost-palpable tension that was wafting through the air and keeping them on their guard in the wake of Riou's earlier comments, it would've been downright idyllic.

As they made their way down the long road leading to the Highland-Harmonia border - keeping as far to the east as they could, and making a quick stop in the shade of an outcropping to eat lunch and rest their feet - the sun floated higher and higher westward with the passing hours, leisurely heading to greet the darkening mass of storm clouds that continued their own journey in the opposite direction. The wind kicked up a little faster with a sharper bite to it and carried a low rumble of thunder over the plains, Jowy agitatedly fixing his long ponytail into a braid as quickly as he could to keep it from whipping about too much.

"Well, this stinks," Nanami observed with a pout, shivering slightly as another gust whipped past. "What a way to start off! And it was so beautiful out this morning, too... guess we'd better be on the lookout for an inn, then, huh?"

A raindrop hit Riou's forehead, and he rather pointlessly wiped it off, feeling another land on his forearm as he did so, beginning to speed up his steps. Jowy and Nanami did likewise behind him, quickly coming up to fall into step on either side of him. "Ah, it happens... hopefully we find another one just randomly placed in the middle of nowhere like Alex and Hilda used to have..."

Jowy grinned. "Well, if that happens again, we should be on the lookout to see if there's some more ruins they're keeping an eye on. That was kind of fun!"

"Yeah, so long as Killey or Lorelai don't show up there, too," Nanami groused, missing Jowy's questioning glance.

"These two whack jobs that are seriously obsessed with the Sindar," Riou explained quickly, frowning as the raindrops started to increase in number, and the thunder sounded even louder. "Lorelai's... ehh, she's okay, but Killey's a real asshole. Beat the crap out of Alex just because we went in the ruins and got the treasure. Don't know why I let Luc nag me into recruiting him," he muttered darkly, "or why he even gave a shit, really. I guess for some reason, he was one of those 'Stars of Destiny' Leknaat told me about."

"Sounds like a perfect gentleman," Jowy observed dryly, rolling his eyes, before narrowing them in thought. "Anyway... follow me?" he asked, crossing past Riou and Nanami all of a sudden and heading for a path that lead northeast, towards and through what looked like a small thicket of trees. He beckoned them to join him, his long legs making his stride a little tougher to keep up with than Riou's. "If I remember right, there's a little farming village a few miles this way... Brasrit, I think. We should be able to get a room or two over there and wait out the storm until it passes. You think you can make it there alright?" he went on, looking at Nanami in concern, and getting it waved off.

"No sweat! Long as we don't have to run like maniacs to get there, I'll be fine. Lead the way!"

With a wry smile and a shake of his head, Jowy turned back around and motioned once more for them to follow, yelping a bit as the sky flashed with lightning, and taking off at a jog towards shelter with Riou and Nanami.

* * *

 **Author's Notes Redux:** So, I got stuck really bad with this one for quite a while. Where to go next, what else to set up - I didn't want to jump right into the thick of things too quickly, but I didn't want it to be a lot of nothing. Balance is a bitch to strike with transitional chapters. But, finally, I think I got something I was satisfied with to keep things rolling along. Hopefully, it worked out well.

So, Eilie got friendzoned and is perfectly fine with it; meanwhile, Riou wants to be Jowy's next wife, causing the sky to be rent in twain; and those of you who have read _Adult Conversation_ know exactly what went down at North Sparrow Pass. Giggity giggity to infinity.

And thanks to the reviewers, favoriters, followers, and kudosers, too! I'm pretty happy to see the reception this has gotten starting off - hopefully it'll be worth the read (and the wait between updates). Thanks to Cissneix both on AO3 and FFnet, Manabizakiyan, and bashfulbunny for the reviews (and mCamilles for the blunt command to "update"). Also, thanks to Cissneix, bashfulbunny, and OnTheOtherSide for the favorites/kudos (as well as the 3 guests), as well as Cissneix, bashfulbunny, and mCamilleS for the follows/bookmarks! Whew.

So, our trio's off to duck and cover from the rain before they melt! Will Riou's tonfa spin at the sight of Jowy in wet clothes? Will the citizens of Brasrit lock Jowy out of the inn out of spite, leaving him to stand in the rain with a pitiful expression? Will Nanami's wound reopen, thus connecting the world to Hell and summoning a horde of demons to lay waste to L'Renouille? (Someone write this. WRITE IT NOW.) We may or may not find out in chapter 3 - feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and join me there! Thanks for reading!


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